The God of Lies and the Goddess of Truth
by Stacey Drake
Summary: Bri and Loki are engaged! There is a long road ahead of the couple if Bri is to become a Valkyrie and become Loki's personal bodyguard and wife. The Warrior's Three and Lady Sif are still distrusting of Loki as he takes his position as prince once more. Will they trust Loki when the Dark Elves attack? Can he be trusted if Bri is not in danger?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Try not to break my wife's pretty face," Loki teased from his seat on the railing, his eyes glittering with laughter as Bri flipped her hair out of her eyes and huffed at him. The distraction gave Sif another opening and she kicked Bri hard in the ribs knocking her to the ground. She spat up a little blood then forced herself to her feet.

"She is not your wife yet and if she learned to block she would not have a mark," sneered Sif as she took her stance.

"Mother will be harder to beat." Thor strolled out onto the landing, leaning against the railing near Loki's feet and looking down at the women as they began fighting once more.

"Yes. Thank you. Got that." Bri was panting but managed to parry every punch that Sif threw at her then flipped into the air and over Sif before spinning and catching her in the side with a punch. The grunt that escaped her opponent made her smile. It was finally the third strike of the day. When Sif spun to glare at her she almost backed away but she stood her ground. After three months she was learning not to cower when anyone tried to put her in her place.

A few more strikes and Bri was done for the day, she had made her goal at the very least. No broken bones but she was going to need a hot bath and a deep tissue massage before the end of the day. She bowed to Sif then rolled her shoulders. "Three!" Sif shook her head at Bri's enthusiasm as they walked up to join Thor and Loki.

"It has only taken you three months to achieve it." Sif rolled her eyes, nodding to the two men then heading back inside.

Bri stuck out her bottom lip in a pout as she came to lean against Loki's legs. "That's all I need…"

Loki pat her head, smoothing her hair and twirling her ponytail in his hand. He had come to love the light blue color that never faded or grew out. She was more Jotun than human now. At least, that's what the servants and guards seemed to think when they saw her practicing her magic. "Yes, you are improving my little pet. And when you face her you will be allowed to use all of your abilities."

Three months had passed since his proposal and she had been preparing ever since. To be his wife she would need to become a Valkyrie like his mother. A guardian to the king or prince she was assigned—although of course she would be with Loki. His smile faltered when he saw his mother walking out to join them with a warm grin. She had been training Bri in what it would be like to take her position as a Valkyrie but he knew all too well his mother's fighting abilities. Bri still had a long way to go before he would be able to land three strikes to her.

"Congratulations are in order! I understand you have finally made it past Lady Sif!" Frigga wrapped Bri in her arms and squeezed hard enough to get a wheeze out of Bri.

"Thanks…" Bri pulled back and leaned against Loki, glancing at him gratefully when he wrapped an arm around her to keep her standing while feigning only an interest in holding her.

"She will be on to see the Norns then?" Loki's arm tightened around Bri when his brother mentioned the fates. It was the next step in her journey, of course. To meet with the three sisters and see if her fate was to be by his side. She would also learn his history so as to be able to protect him better. Frigga had done the same, as had every queen and princess before her, mortal or not.

"Yes. She will leave in the morning." Frigga's cheerfulness had lessened with the mention of the eerie women but she had faith that Bri would survive their odd tests.

Loki slipped from the balcony to stand behind his beloved and hold her close. If she angered the Norns she would not return to him. He had only visited them once but he had nearly lost his life, he was not sure what would happen should they find her unsuitable.

Bri leaned into him and intertwined her fingers with his. "Then I guess I should get a good night's rest." With a nod of respect to Frigga and Thor she pulled Loki away and toward their bedroom. "I want a massage," she declared as they weaved through the halls. She had learned to ignore the looks the servants and guards gave the two of them. She knew they had no real respect for either of them. The Jotun monster and the Midgardian/Jotun mutant. They at least knew their place. Only Dragmar truly seemed to enjoy being around them, well, Bri at the very least.

"As the Lady wishes." Loki lifted her up as if she were nothing then transported him to their room, dropping her onto their bed as he conjured a massage table. She grunted when she landed, narrowing her eyes at him and tsking irritably.

"Just 'cuz the bed is soft does not mean you can just throw me like a sack of potatoes," she grumbled while sitting up.

He lifted an eyebrow. "I do not believe I have ever seen such an attractive spud." He winked and snickered as he summoned a table for the massage oils he brought from the bathroom. It had become custom for him to give her a massage whenever she was finished with her sparring. Or for her to take a bath. Sometimes both. He offered her his hand and helped her to her feet, breathing in the scent of her. Even covered in sweat and dirt he could smell the familiar winter that radiated from within. His hands slipped down her sides as he banished the clothing he had made her earlier.

Her breath hitched and she bit her lower lip as his warm hands slid across her bare skin. They had been together nearly a year and had yet to be more intimate than a little heavy petting. She wanted him with every cell in her body but she would not yield. She would go to their marriage bed without knowing any man's touch, even her husband's.

"You should lay down now." His voice was husky as he leaned down and whispered in her ear, his hands resting on her hips as his thumbs made circles in her flesh.

She leaned up and pressed herself against him before kissing him. Heat spread throughout her as he grasped her bottom and held her against him. His tongue slipped in to her mouth to war with hers, drinking in her moans as he lifted her onto the table and slipped between her legs. Her nails ran along his back while she pulled his shirt up. They broke their kiss as she yanked it over his head and tossed it to the floor.

Both of their eyes were clouded over with want as he leaned in to claim her mouth again, his hands running up her thighs to massage away the knots formed while fighting. She leaned back as he trailed kisses down her neck and moved up to cool the heat coming from the bruises on her ribs. "You will be the death of me," he breathed when she bit his shoulder.

It took all of his self-restraint to stop before anything went further. "Our wedding night cannot come soon enough," he grumbled, his gaze dropping to her naked breasts. He shook his head and put his hands on his face to cool the rush of blood. "Lay down on your stomach…"

She followed his orders reluctantly. "Agreed," she whispered. If it hadn't been for Loki she was sure she would no longer be a maiden. But, apart from her own wishes, if they were together before their marriage she wouldn't be allowed to become a Valkyrie. They were maiden warriors first after-all. Her eyes drifted closed as he poured a lavender oil on her and began to work at the knots in her back. She just needed to get through the Norns and then beat Frigga in a fight. Simple.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

He shifted beside her, pulling her closer and breathing in the lavender scent of her hair as one hand traced the line of her soft body. A grin broke across her face and she giggled as he tickled her neck with his morning scruff. "If we stay right here in bed you do not have to leave." He began trailing kisses down her chin then pulled back to look into her eyes.

"Yes but then nothing would ever change." Her fingers trailed down his chest to stop at the top of his green silk boxers, hooking inside the elastic band then trailing across his hipbone. He sucked in his breath as his roaming hand slipped to her butt to press her hips against him.

"That would truly be a tragedy," his voice was husky as he pushed himself against her warmth. He pulled her across his lap as he leaned back and sat up, groaning when she wiggled and winked. His smile faded as he let his hands rest on her thighs. "Listen to everything that they tell you." He tucked her long tresses behind her ears and ran his thumbs along her chin then moved to her lips, mesmerized by the deep purple stain that never faded.

"I will. D-Do you think they'll like me?" Her eyes searched his, trying to read their depths to see what he had seen, to catch a glimpse of what she would be meeting.

He lifted her hands to his mouth and broke their gaze before she could find anything. "I cannot tell you what they will think. They would be fools not to see your worth. And I can promise you that those…women…are far from foolish." She watched as he rippled with apprehension at the memory of his own meeting with them.

Bri nodded numbly then slipped from his lap and scooted across the deep green bedding, throwing back the heavy curtains of their canopy bed, glancing back one last time before standing. Each time she had asked about the Norns she had only met with vague answers. Fear leaked into her blood, pumping quickly as panic set in. The fates. She rubbed her hands along the gooseflesh accompanying the chill, her dark blue tattoos glowing against her pail skin. What if they told her she was not good enough?! Or what if they said she could be a Valkyrie but not Loki's?! Her chest tightened at the thought. An eternity without him. Would she get leave? Would he get a different Valkyrie? Would he marry her?

Frost had begun crawling across the ground in spiky fingers as her mind spiraled into the worst case scenarios, picturing Loki married to another woman and holding her the way he held her. Suddenly he was there, crushing her to his chest and whispering that it would be okay, that no one would take her away from him. "You should get dressed," he mumbled into her ear when she had finally calmed. She bobbed her head and went to the closet to pull out the dress that Frigga had made for her.

It was a mirror of what the Queen herself had worn when she first met with the Norns with a long flowing skirt and a steel corselet. The fabric was a dark blue with cuts up the length of the skirt and down the sleeves of the arm so she could move with ease. She held it up to herself and looked in the mirror, noting the cut of muscle in her legs and arms. She could do this. She was strong. The last year had proven that to her.

She lifted it over her head then let is cascade over her, settling heavy on her shoulders. Her breath hitched even before Loki's long fingers trailed down her spine before taking the strings to begin tying the corselet. "You are freezing the laces." A huff crawled up her throat, pouring from her lips as a hiss as she tried release her nerves. The sight of her breath proved she was failing. "There is nothing to fear. You will be fine." She chuckled and shook her head at his fib.

"Sure. Maybe. Let's go with that." She leaned against him as his muscular arms wrapped around her waist to hold her close. "The sooner I leave the sooner I get back right?" She tried to recall the boldness she had found in Muspelheim but it was gone. She wasn't facing Loki's magic or some bitch with a grudge. These were the fates. They could cut her string and that was it. Done. Or they could send her back to Midgard. Tears rolled down her cheek only to freeze and shimmer like crystals in the early morning light. She would rather die than go back to the girl she had been.

"We should go." She stepped out of his arms, stepping back and smoothing the imaginary wrinkles away. "You be good while I'm gone," she teased. Her eyes drifted closed as he reached forward to brush away the tears that has begun to melt.

"Without you here? Never." A mischievous grin pulled at one corner of his mouth. "However, if you hurry back I will not have as much time to misbehave." His eyes twinkled with delight when she lifted an eyebrow in mock challenge. "Who knows how much poor Dagmar can withstand…." She laughed in response, throwing her hands into the air and rolling her eyes.

"Well for Dagmar I will rush back."

"I thank you, Lady Bri." Dagmar stood at the door to the room, holding it open to reveal Lady Frigga and Sif waiting for the two. The servant tried to hide her own amusement at the couple. Not daring to meet her prince's eyes lest they show irritation at the interruption.

"Shall we?" He offered her his arm, his smile now plastered on her face, his shoulders held back. He was a prince of Asgard escorting his fiancé to meet the fates. She slipped her arm through his and pulled back her shoulders, tipping her chin upwards and letting her face settle into the imperious and indifferent version she had learned to hold during banquets.

"Let's go."

Author's Note: Guys! I am SO sorry that this has taken so long! I am currently writing my first novel and finding it hard to find time to write for both. I promise that I will get better and I hope to have the next one posted within a few weeks! Thanks for following and favoriting! 3


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